James Bond

James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced "double-oh seven"), is a fictional British spy introduced by writer Ian Fleming in 1953. Fleming wrote numerous novels and short stories based upon the character and, after his death in 1964, further literary adventures were written by Kingsley Amis, John Pearson, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson; in addition, Christopher Wood wrote two screenplay novelizations and other authors have also written various unofficial permutations of the character.

Overview

The character

Commander James Bond is a member of MI6, the international arm of the British Secret Service, under which he holds the code number "007". The 'double-oh' prefix indicates his discretionary licence to kill in the performance of his duties.

Related Topics:
MI6 - Licence to kill

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Fleming named James Bond after an ornithologist of the same name who had written Birds of the West Indies. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, was in Jamaica with a copy of Bond's field guide when he chose Bond's name for the lead character of his first novel, Casino Royale in 1953. He later explained that the man's name was "brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon, and yet very masculine? just what I needed."

Related Topics:
Ornithologist of the same name - Birds of the West Indies - Birdwatcher - Jamaica - Casino Royale - 1953 - Anglo-Saxon

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The look of James Bond is famed for being "suave and sophisticated." In Casino Royale the character Vesper Lynd says of Bond, "He reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Carmichael would later be the basis as James Bond for artist Mike Grell and his series of James Bond comic books, while the Hoagy Carmichael description would be repeated in later Bond stories written by John Gardner.

Related Topics:
Vesper Lynd - Hoagy Carmichael - Mike Grell - Comic book - John Gardner

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Fleming drew inspiration for the Bond character from his personal life. The author was known for his glamorous and licentious lifestyle. Fleming was also inspired by his contemporaries in British Intelligence during World War II, specifically events that were purported to have taken place at the Estoril Casino in Estoril, Portugal where spies of warring regimes mingled with European royalty. This atmosphere inspired Fleming's imagination and set the scene for his first Bond novel, Casino Royale. (See Inspirations for James Bond.)

Related Topics:
World War II - Estoril Casino - Estoril - Portugal - European - Inspirations for James Bond

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Bond is the consummate womaniser, drinker, and smoker. According to a website detailing Bond?s drinking habits, the agent consumed 102 alcoholic beverages in the films, and well over 300 in Fleming's novels. On film, Bond drinks champagne 32 times, and 20 vodka martinis. In the novels, he has a strong preference for bourbon whiskey.

Related Topics:
Alcoholic beverage - Champagne - Martinis - Bourbon whiskey

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The literary 007 is a heavy cigarette smoker, at one point smoking up to 70 a day. Bond quit smoking when John Gardner authored the stories in the 1980s. On film, Bond gave up the habit in Tomorrow Never Dies, although he is seen smoking cigars in Die Another Day.

Related Topics:
Tomorrow Never Dies - Cigar - Die Another Day

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The cinematic Bond had the character quirk of being a "know-it-all". In Goldfinger, he calculates in his head how many trucks it takes to transport all the gold in Fort Knox, and how long the gold would be radioactive after Goldfinger's bomb had exploded. Bond's "genius" became a running joke during Moore's era. It was virtually eliminated during Dalton's tenure as 007.

Related Topics:
Goldfinger - Fort Knox - Goldfinger's

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The franchise

The Bond franchise is currently the second all-time highest grossing film franchise in history, after Star Wars{{ref|filmfranchise}}. James Bond novels and movies have ranged from realistic spy drama to science fiction.

Related Topics:
Star Wars - Science fiction

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The original books by Fleming are usually dark ? lacking fantasy or gadgets. Instead, they established the formula of unique villains, outlandish plots, and voluptuous women who tend to fall in love with Bond at first sight (the feeling often being mutual). The films expanded on Fleming's books, adding gadgets from Q-Branch, and death-defying stunts, and often abandoning the original plotlines for more outlandish and cinema-friendly adventures. Cinematic Bond adventures are mostly a formulaic drama where Bond saves the world from apocalyptic madmen. Inevitably, a villain tries to kill Bond with a deathtrap during which the villain reveals vital information; Bond later escapes and uses the information to thwart the evil plot. In many cases, the villain then dies at Bond's hands, although early Bond films often ended with the villain either escaping or being killed by someone else.

Related Topics:
Q-Branch - Deathtrap

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The first actor to play Bond was American Barry Nelson, in the 1954 CBS television production of Casino Royale in which the character became a U.S. agent named "Jimmy Bond." In 1956, Bob Holness provided the voice of Bond in a South African radio adaptation of Moonraker.

Related Topics:
Barry Nelson - 1954 - CBS - 1956 - Bob Holness - South Africa - Radio - Moonraker

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Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman started the official cinematic run of Bond in 1962, with Dr. No starring Sean Connery. Their production company, EON Productions (supposedly an acronym for 'Everything Or Nothing', which was their motto), set up a semi-regular schedule of releases (initially annually, then usually once every two years) until 1989. Every Bond film has been a box office success to a lesser or greater degree. They continue to earn substantial profits after their theatrical run via videotape, DVD, and television broadcasts. In the UK, Bond holds three of the top five top spots of the most-watched television movies.

Related Topics:
Albert R. Broccoli - Harry Saltzman - 1962 - Dr. No - Videotape - DVD - The most-watched television movies

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By the 1980s, many critics had grown tired of the films, commenting that the perennial sexism and glamorous locales had become outdated, and that Bond?s smooth, unruffled exterior didn't mesh with competing movies like Die Hard. The hard-edge of Timothy Dalton in the Bond movies of the late 80s met a mixed response from moviegoers; some welcomed the earthier style reminiscent of Fleming's character, while others missed the light-hearted approach which characterised the Roger Moore era. While 1989's Licence to Kill was financially successful, it did not prove as popular as previous Bond films, due in part to a low-key promotional campaign in the United States. A new Bond film was announced for release in 1991, however legal wrangling over ownership of the character led to a protracted delay that would keep Bond off movie screens for the next six years.

Related Topics:
Sexism - Die Hard - Licence to Kill

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The 1990s saw a revival and renewal of the series beginning with GoldenEye in 1995. Pierce Brosnan filled Bond?s shoes with an elegant mix of Sean Connery cool and Roger Moore wit.

Related Topics:
1990s - GoldenEye

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James Bond has long been a household name and remains a huge influence within the cinematic spy film genre. The Austin Powers series and other parodies such as Johnny English (2003), and Casino Royale (1967) are testaments to Bond's prominence in popular culture (see: James Bond parodies). 1960s TV imitations of James Bond such as I Spy, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. went on to became popular successes in their own right. (Fleming contributed to the creation of U.N.C.L.E.; the show's lead character, "Napoleon Solo", was named after a character in Fleming's novel Goldfinger and Fleming also suggested the character name April Dancer which was later used in the spin-off series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E..)

Related Topics:
Austin Powers - Johnny English - 2003 - 1967 - James Bond parodies - I Spy - Get Smart - The Wild Wild West - The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

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